Olivier Rousteing On Dressing France's First Lady

Olivier Rousteing Never Imagined The First Lady Of France Would Wear Balmain

Balmain's creative director, Olivier Rousteing, never thought he would dress France's first lady. Brigitte Macron has defied the conventions of typical, first lady fashion by stepping out in ensembles that are both tailored and fashion forward. She seems like the perfect addition to what Rousteing refers to as the Balmain Army.

Rousteing says that he considers dressing Macron to be a big achievement — not only as a designer but as a French citizen. He believes it speaks to the diversity of the brand. One day you see Balmain being worn by Kendall Jenner or the runway and the next day, you see it on Macron at the French Cup final. "The Balmain Army is really spontaneous; there is no strategy. It’s all about welcoming women and men," Rousteing told Glamour in an interview. "I dress different body shapes, different ages. It’s uncontrollable, and it’s unstoppable. You never know who’s going to be the next character of the army, the next soldier — and that’s what I love."

Rousteing said he is also proud of his country for choosing what he believes to be a move toward freedom by electing France's newest president, Emmanuel Macron. When it comes to wearing Balmain, though, the designer believes fashion and politics can be separate. That has been the source of a lot of controversy amongst the fashion community, specifically with designers who choose to dress or not dress another recently elected president and his wife.

Rousteing said in his interview with Glamour, "I think fashion is fashion: Sometimes you dress people that you don’t know, and sometimes you dress people that you actually know. Melania is an incredible, beautiful woman, but I don’t know her, and I’m not American, so I [don't feel that] I can talk about it. But I saw her come to France for the 14th of July [Bastille Day], and I thought she and Brigitte Macron had a nice connection together. But I know more about the background and the story of Brigitte Macron — I think it's nice that Melania was wearing Balmain. It’s good."

With Brigitte Macron among the ranks of the Balmain Army alongside Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and both the Hadid sisters, who will Olivier Rousteing dress next?